Young islander Martha Griffiths has become the Isle of Man’s first world champion in Irish dancing.

Manx Trinity Academy, an Irish dance school in the island, took part in one of the biggest Irish dance competitions in the calendar, The World Championships and International Grade Feis.

The competition, organised by the World Dance Academy, was a four-day event, with eight young islanders competing in over 140 dances throughout the competition.

The dancers travelled to Killarney in the Republic of Ireland for the event.

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Martha Griffiths, who is 17, won the under 18 championship for the first time, taking first place in both her solos, raising the bar for Irish dancing in the Isle of Man.

The girls placed third in the world for their Ceili championship and sixth for the overall team championship.

On top of this, Emily Watson took home a second place in the Under 12 category, with Martha Griffiths coming third in the under 21 category for the traditional set championship.

There were 79 dance schools that travelled from all around the world to compete in the event including dancers from the USA, Australia and Hong Kong, with all of the competitors having to qualify for the event prior.

The Manx Trinity Academy, run by Amy Carr and Katherine Ash, competes often all around the world, having won British, Irish, all Ireland, Scottish, European and World titles.

Dancers have been able to showcase their talent on island in local shows such as the Gaiety Theatre and take part in the Riverdance summer school in Dublin, learning from industry professionals.

Amy Carr, who runs the Manx Trinity Academy, said: ‘We are committed to making Irish dance fun, accessible and to giving opportunities to the island’s children and young people to enjoy, make lifelong friends and flourish in Irish dancing.

‘We are unbelievably proud to have represented the island again in a world class competition this year.

‘This is just a small reflection of our school and how incredibly talented our dancers are. We couldn’t wait to share the good news with the rest of the island.

‘Congratulations to our eight dancers who competed: Aalish Kilgallon, Alexa Ash, Emily Watson, Clodagh Briercliff, Jessica Musgrove, Aurelie Stevenson, Suvi Shaw and Martha Griffiths.’

For more information about Manx Trinity Academy, email [email protected]